The Lion's Den
by Ruby Dynasty
Summary: Ever wonder what would happen if Captain Buggy had a daughter and wanted to join his crew? Isn't that exciting or what? How will her presence affect the One Piece storyline once paths are crossed and enemies are made? Nothing will ever be the same, but you'll have to read to find out for yourself.
1. Chapter 1

**A/n: Hello guys, this is Ruby Dynasty here with my first One Piece. One Piece has always been one of my favorite anime to watch alongside Hunter X Hunter and Dragon Ball Z. When I first watched the series, it was while it was with the 4Kids dub unfortunately but after some time, I found the original and then Funi came out with their version. I have to admit though, I am severely behind in the serious but I'm slowly but surely catching up again. Anyway, I've wanted to write a story about an OC joining in on the adventures of the series so here it is. Without further I do, I present you the first chapter of my story.**

**Disclaimer: I am not the owner of the One Piece franchise. I am merely a fan who writes this story for pure fun.**

**Chapter 1**

**Bella's Journey is at an End. Meet Captain Buggy the Clown**

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A single strand of blue hair fell in her vision, only to be brushed aside to the back of her ear. The sounds of merriment brought by the drunken men in the nearly crowded bar fell on deaf ears as she scanned the poster placed at the bar station she sat at with her amber orbs.

'_WANTED_

_DEAD OR ALIVE: BUGGY_

_15,000,000 Beli'_

"_He's definitely made his mark in the world,"_ she mused in a sickeningly sweet yet amused tone. _"I thought his bounty would've been a lot more to say how long he's been a pirate, but maybe it'll increase in time while I'm there."_

"Here's your drink ma'am," announced a male's voice.

A small glass containing a brown drink was placed on the poster, but the female simply picked it up without even so much as looking away from the informative flyer. She threw her head back as she pressed the rim between her lips and swallowed the drink, savoring its sweet taste as it flowed into her mouth. The contents of the glass was diminished just as quickly as it had been given to her and set back in its previous spot.

"Thank you, I really needed that," the individual stated as she finally looked up from the drawing of the pirate. The woman's face was round and smooth, decorated with a red star on each cheek. Her long, straightened dark blue hair fell to midway back with a red bow snapped at the middle-back of her head. The upper portion of her body was covered (barely) by a spaghetti strapped red shirt in which the strings were tied around the back of her neck.

The bartender, a young blonde male, though older than her, blushed as he stared at the young woman, nearly entranced by her beauty. He cleared his throat and slowly turned his black eyes away, but kept his attention on her through his peripheral vision, "It's always a pleasure."

A small chuckle escaped her lips as she gazed at the man on the opposite side of the counter as a glint twinkled in her eye, "No need to be shy. I don't bite."

The man felt a small chill run up his spine as he listened to the female speak. There was hidden amusement hidden in the sweet voice of hers and as he glanced back at her eye, he could almost sense the deceptive cunningness she held. A small lump formed in his throat that refused to go down no matter how hard he tried, "I'm-I'm sure you don't. O-Oh yeah, I couldn't help but n-notice you've been staring at that wanted flyer for a while. A-Are you a bounty hunter going a-after Buggy's head?"

"Not quite," she answered smoothly. "However, I am searching for him. There are some things I need to discuss with him."

The man nearly dropped the bottle of sake he was pouring for another customer as he gawked at her in disbelief, "Are you mad?!" The volume of his voice caused the whole room to grow quiet; the drunken customers and the waitress to become interested in the topic at hand.

"_It really goes to show how much cowardice people show towards pirates," _she thought inwardly. She feigned ignorance as she tilted her head to the side in confusion, "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"Haven't you heard the stories?" the blonde man questioned. "Captain Buggy is one of the Devil Fruit users. He'll kill you without as so much as batting an eye. Unless you want a death wish or some kind of devil fruit user yourself, I suggest you stay as far away from him as possible!"

"You oughta' listen to him or else you'll wind up killed," cosigned the waitress. "It's never wise to 'simply' talk to a pirate."

"That's probably what the little lady wants!" jeered one of the men.

The young woman's grin grew into a full-fledged smile, displaying her set of pearly white teeth, "I understand the concern, but I can handle myself quite well. Besides, this could be one of his next destinations. He has been 'visiting' the nearby islands recently, so it would be wise to keep a close look out for him just in case."

The blue haired beauty removed the flyer from the bar and placed it in the black satchel on the stool next to her. She stood to her feet, revealing her black shorts and sandals, picked up her bag and quietly and proceeded towards the door to make her exit. As she placed her hand on the door, she looked back at the crowd, the smile never leaving her lips, "And by the way, I am Bella. I shall be returning later…provided that we're all still here of course."

Without another word, she exited the building and reached the outside. Bella, the 16 year old young lady, covered her face as the sun's rays beamed down into her position. Her smile returned to its small grin as she observed the scenery around her. The town she currently occupied was rather quaint. The people lived in peace; free of the strife caused by those who lived for piracy. It reminded her of her own home village…before its destruction several years ago. Her expression grew serious as she thought back to that fateful, but quickly wiped the memory from the forefront of her mind.

"_It's going to be a shame when they do arrive," _she thought as she watched the children play down the street. _"However, unnecessary attachments are only useless in the long run. As long as you're with the ones close to you then does it matter where you really are? Whether they're alive or dead, people can always be together."_

She walked towards the happy children and as she approached them, their ball rolled towards her feet, stopping as it came in contact with her. She picked up the red spherical object and held it as the brown haired child approached her with a curious expression on his face.

"Can we get our ball back miss?" the boy asked innocently.

"Of course, here you go," Bella stated as she handed the boy his ball.

"Thank you!" he said happily, rejoining his friends to kick the object around.

The teenager walked passed the children with a wave of farewell as she proceeded towards her destination at the end of the street: a house belonging to one of the residents of the small town. She approached the side window to get a good view of the inside to find all the lights were turned off.

"Perfect, this is as good a time as any to get this done," she mumbled to herself amusedly.

She gripped onto the base of the window and pushed it up as far as it could go and swiftly entered the house without notice. She scanned around the dark room for security purposes and quickly walked through the house. It appeared a humble family lived in the home as there were pictures of a man, woman, and two little girls along the walls. She stopped at a closed door labeled: off limits.

"_This looks like a good place," _she thought with anticipation. She lifted her arm into her vision and smiled as her limb slowly changed structure. Tan hair rapidly grew out of her fair, smooth skin and her hands morphed into a large paw with black claws extending from the tips. "_I'm gaining better control of these abilities, but I need to finish this quickly before that family returns."_

Bella gripped the door knob, yanking the metal object right out of the whole, sending the nuts and bolts flying everywhere. She pushed the door open with ease, revealing a room filled with chests of different sizes and simple boxes. Her eyes gleamed at the sight as she entered the room and closed in on one of the smaller chests. Carefully using her claw, she picked the lock and opened it causing her eyes to glimmer at the sight before her. As to be expected, the chest was full of gold and jewels, meaning that either the mother or father had been a pirate in their younger days.

"I'm sure this will be just enough," she stated as she closed the treasure chest. As her eyes trailed over to the identical unit, an additional thought ran through her mind, "_But then again…"_

'_SLAM!'_

"_Apparently I wasn't quick enough," _Bella frowned in anger. _"I can't attract too much attention to myself…not right now at least. However, if I don't do anything then I will be in trouble." _

Bella removed the satchel from her body and placed it gently on the floor. Not a moment too soon, her body began to morph to even greater lengths. Just like her arm, a layer of fur sprouted from her skin; her hand remaining hand turning into a paw complete with sharpened claws. The teenager's body grew in height and bulk as it transformed into a more animal like figure: a slim tail with a patch of fur at the end protruded from her rear end, a set of pointed ears, her feet change into hind legs, destroying her sandals in the process. The only thing that remained the same was her dark colored hair accessorized with the red bow as her face now resembled that of a lion's.

"Hey! What's going on in here?!" questioned a man in anger as he entered the room. "What the hell are you?! Are you some kind of monster?!"

The transformed teenager smiled, revealing her sharpened, predatory teeth, as she focused her attention on the owner of the voice. The man appeared to be in his late thirties or early forties dressed in a buttoned down white shirt and blue jean shorts with sandals.

"Don't mind me, I was just leaving," she answered as she picked up the chests and satchel. Despite her transformation, her voice remained the same though it contained fierceness to it.

"Wait! What do you think you're doing!?" he questioned in anger. He pulled out a small dagger from the safety of his pocket and charged towards her with the intent of harming the strange visitor.

Bella swiftly shifted her weight to her left foot as she used the other leg to kick the man in the jaw, sending him flying into the wall, rendering him unconscious upon impact. "You should've known better than to attack someone out of your league. Considering the fact that I don't like senseless killing, just be glad I only used enough force to do just that to you."

"What's all the commo-" asked a woman as she came running to the treasure room. Almost immediately, the woman gasped in shock at the mere sight of the unwanted guest and covered her mouth before a scream could erupt from her lips.

"That was a wise decision you've made," the Devil Fruit user stated calmly. "We can't have you creating a scene when I'm trying to leave. Besides, you don't want to scare your children do you?" Bella walked passed the frightened woman as she dropped to her feet, unable to speak a word. As she walked through the main room, the two girls, each dressed in a identical pink dresses, stared at the Zoan-fruit user as she continued to exit the premises.

Being the children they are, they ran in front of the teenager, blocking her path, much to her dismay.

"Wow, you're so big!" stated the girl with the blonde hair.

"You look like a kitty," pointed out the red-headed child. "Are you our new kitty?"

Before she had the chance to even respond, the little girls surrounded the teenager at her feet. Due to the large difference in size, they used the chance to rub the hybrid at her feet causing her to purr in delight.

"That feels good," Bella replied in a happy tone. She remained in her dazed state for a few moments before her pupils vanished and her teeth sharpened comically, "Hey! I'm not some kind of pet."

With that, she exited the house through the door and walked back towards the middle of the town with the chests over her shoulder. While she wanted to return to her original form, she would be unable to carry the treasure to her room but at the same time, she did not want to cause a widespread panic among the citizens. However, it was a necessary sacrifice to get what she needed to get done. Thankfully, the streets were oddly clear, permitting the teenager to make it to her destination without any trouble at all.

She arrived at the port where several ships were docked; waiting for the owners to get on board and set sail to the vast body of water. The blue haired teenager approached a medium sized boat capable of transporting at least four to five individuals for moderate lengths of travel so as long as a heavy storm did not brew up.

Bella walked onto the wooden boardwalk and across the incline onto her humble sized ship. A sigh escaped her lips as she opened the door leading into the kitchen. She raised a questioning eyebrow at the sight on the opposite side of the room.

"_I don't remember leaving my door open," _she thought to herself.

She snarled inwardly as she dropped her newly acquired treasure to the side and carefully approached the door leading into her small bedroom. Carefully, the teenager crept towards the door; her eyes twitching in the slightest anticipation of hearing sounds coming from her personal quarters. In a matter of moments, she stopped in front of the door; swinging it wide open for her viewing. To her surprise, not an item was out of place, allowing her to give a sigh of relief, "Perhaps I was just being paranoid again. Mother did say I worried a lot of no reason at all. She was right."

She approached her bed and as she did so, her body had been released of the animalistic features and bore the appearance of an average young woman once again. Her body fell forward on the furniture with a thump; her arms outstretched to either sides. Puling her legs onto the bed, she curled her body half-way into a ball and lied there with her eyes closed as she drifted off into a light slumber.

_Two hours later_

"BOOM! CRASH!"

"AHHH!" the young woman yelled as she jumped from her slumber.

"BOOM! CRASH!"

A rumble could be felt all throughout the ship much to her confusion, "What's going on around here?"

Bella grabbed the sword by her bed and swiftly ran to the outside of the ship to the docks. Yet again, she found herself in shock at the scene taking place in the town. Citizens were running for their lives in panic in an attempt to escape the flying balls that crashed into their homes and in the street. She blinked in confusion as she calmly proceeded to walk into the streets, observing the townspeople in terror until she came to a halt on the other side where a single circus like tent stood in the midst of the quaint houses.

Surrounding the tent were several colorfully dressed individuals dancing around in merriment and loading equally colorful balls into a large cannon.

"_I wonder if this is his crew_," she mumbled inwardly. A sweat drop formed at the back of her head as she continued to exam the appearance of the ship. "_They're definitely flashy if you ask me_."

However, there was one in particular that caught her fullest attention: the man calling out all of the orders to the crew. He was a slim, yet muscular man with an appearance of a clown. He had crossbones going down his face forming an X with two blue lines near both of his eyes, red lipstick and his jolly roger on his hat. He donned a striped white and red shirt with short sleeves, white gloves reminiscent of the ones worn by clowns, a sash around his waist, and a pair of loose pants reaching to his calves, just above a pair of striped socks and pointy shoes. He also had a scarf around his neck. Hanging from his shoulders there was an orange, fur-lined captain's coat. Finally, hanging from the sides of his hat was his long blue hair, almost in the form of tassels.

"_There he is," _she thought in joy, yet her expression remained one of calmness. "_After all these years, I finally have the chance to be with you."_

Suddenly, she found herself surrounded by several members of the jolly group of men, but she kept her demeanor. She watched as the orange clad man approached her with a serious expression on his feature and gestured for his men to allow him to come through. He stopped several feet away from his uninvited guest and crossed his arms.

"You must have some kind of death wish if you haven't escaped with the other people," the man stated.

"No, I can't say that I don't," she responded in a flat tone. "However, I do have a request."

"Oh, and what's that?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"My name is Bella and I wish to join your pirate crew Captain Buggy," she informed calmly. "Father…"

Buggy laughed in amusement, practically ignoring the last word that came out of her mouth. On the other hand, his crew had drained of all color. He folded his arms over his chest, "So you wish to join my flashy pirate crew, eh? What makes you think I'll let you join?"

"Because I believe I could be a great asset to your crew," she answered with a light smile. "I wish to travel the seas with you to help achieve your goal. Also, I do love the thought a throwing parties and having fun at any given chance."

"Well then," he stated as he peered her directly in her eyes. A large smile appeared on his lips as he threw his arms into the air, "Men! Let us welcome our newest member!" However, it was at that moment when the word 'father' dawned on the clown pirate which made his pupils vanish and his teeth grew as sharp as canines, "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU CALL ME?!"

"…Father," she answered in a matter of fact tone.

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**A/N: And that is the end of this first installment. As you can see, Bella is a Devil-Fruit user that gives her the ability to transform into a lion. As with all other characters of the series, pieces of her backstory will be revealed in time rather than straight off the back. I find this will be an interesting project for me because I'll be building my OC as well as working with Buggy the clown, who happens to be one of my favorite 'antagonists.' Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this so send in a review telling me of your thoughts: likes, dislikes, and the works. That's all I have to say for now, so later folks.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys, I am back with the latest chapter of Misguided Paths. I'm still in the process of thinking of a better name for this story because Bella is not misguided at all…for the most part at least. Anyway, I want to thank everyone who has put the story on their alert and favorite lists and I would also like to thank QuirkyKit for leaving their review. Anyway, that's enough of my babbling for right now. We need to get on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the One Piece franchise and never, ever will in this lifetime.**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**Set Sail! The Adventures Begins with the Buggy Pirates!**

Buggy glared at the young woman standing opposite of him as if she had grown an extra head on her body. For as long as he had been a pirate, he had not been in bed with a single woman inhabiting the many villages his crew had pillaged for treasure for the simple fact that they were all too frightened by his reputation as a pirate and a devil fruit user. So that raised the question of: how could this teenager claim to be his own flesh and blood?

"Did that girl really say she's his daughter?" questioned one of the men.

"I thought the captain didn't have any children," commented another in confusion.

The entire situation caused a tick mark to appear on the man's forehead, which did not go unnoticed by the crowd of pirates. Buggy's hand removed itself from his body and grabbed onto the first person closest to him. The hand lifted him into the air by the collar of his shirt, causing him to squirm in fear at the possible death sentence ready to meet him.

"Say one more word and you will receive a flashy death," the blue haired man threatened through clenched teeth. He dropped him on the ground and returned his attention to Bella as his hand returned to his body. He pointed at the girl accusingly as his teeth grew sharp, "And you! How dare you flashily declare me as your father when I have no children!? Explain yourself girl!"

The small grin that had been on the teenager's face vanished from sight as she released a sigh from her lips, "My mother told me you would react this way and honestly I'm not too surprised myself, but that's why I have something that will answer your question father."

"Quit calling me that girl!" Buggy snapped angrily.

Bella merely giggled to herself as she reached into her sachel and pulled out a folded piece of paper addressed to Buggy, which he quickly snatched away. "Jut to let you know, I have no idea what's written on that paper. I had to swear that I wouldn't read a single word because it's for your eyes only."

"Smart girl," he stated as he opened the paper and proceeded to readd.

'Hello Buggy Dear,

If you're reading this then that means our dear sweet Bella has ound you after her long journey from hom.I know you're goig to have a hard time believe this, but Bella is in fact your daughter and no matter how much you may deny it, the fact is I know you're racking your brain attempting to figure out who I maybe, so I'llgive you a little hint, I am the one person who did not fear you."

Buggy's face dained of all color as he read the sentence and came to a realization, "So, it's that woman. I completely blocked her out of my mind after what she did to me, but for a whole child to come out of that eperience is flashily unexpected."

"That's right Buggy, it's me. Anyway, I am allowing Bella to join your ranks so she can become a great pirate under your guidance. You better take good care of her and make sure she's not capured by the marines or else I WILL find you and give you an excrutiating punishment."

"The flashy bastard!" By this point, Buggy was seething with rage. He ripped the paper into shreds and threw it in the air, allowing the wind to blow it away. He glanced back to Bella who gave him an expecting gaze though she only remained silent. Yet again, his hand detached from his body and used it to rub his chin as he closed his eyes; musing over the current predicament.

"The girl is definitely daughter of that flashy wench. Her lack of fear towards pirates such as myself is just the same: admirably brave yet stupid. And by the looks of the sword, she shares my love of bladed weaponry." A large grin appeared on his lips, "Yes, the prospect of having her in my crew will allow me o mold her into my image."

"So, do you believe me now?" Bella questioned, taking note of her father's slight change in demeanor.

The blue haired pirate remained silent for another moment before finally answering, "I'm not quite sure, but there is one thing that I do know." Buggy threw his hands in the air causing his cape to flap wildly behind him, "Men! We shall welcome Bella with a party!"

The crowd of pirates' cheers chorused as they began to make the preparations for the abrupt announcement of festivities. As if they had been prepared for such an occasion, barrels of drinks were rolled from the sides of the tent and tables were set up in a matter of moments. Bella could not help but slightly gape in shock at the quick turn of events but her light smile returned to her lips just as quickly.

"This is quite interesting," she stated in amusement.

"This party is for you Bella so let us join the festivities," Buggy stated as he began to walk away.

"Of course," she nodded as she followed beind the pirate captain.

Buggy took a seat in the chair at the entrance of the tent while the teenager sat down on the chair net to him. Before she even had the chance to get comfortable, she was handed a large cup filled with booze.

"Drink up Bella," Buggy urged as he took a chug of his own beverage. "You will truly enjoy yourself now that you're among us."

"I do hope so," she said before bringing the jar to her lips. The sweet taste of the beverage kept her wanting for more as she swallowed it until the last drop. "Ah, that's one of the best drinks I've ever had."

"And there's more where that came from," the devil fruit captain stated. "Drink as much as you like."

"Gladly," she stated as she was handed another cup to drink.

After taking another drink of his beverage, Buggy glanced at his long lost daughter expectantly, "Now Bella, tell me a little bit about yourself."

The teenage devil fruit user gave a thoughtful look as she tried to figure out what she should inform her father about, "I don't know where to start but I guess it's best to start with my age. I'm 16 right now but I'll be 17 in a few months."

Buggy smile grew larger at the statement, "It is quite surprising knowing your mother let you travel alone, but I see you handled yourself quite well. Were you not afraid of the flashy dangers of the ocean?"

"Not really," she waved off. "Anytime I was in trouble, I got myself out of the situation or avoided it altogether in the first place. However, there was one fear that I couldn't let go no matter how much I tried."

"Oh what's that?" buggy questioned, his interest piqued even further.

"Falling into the ocean," she answered with a larger smile.

"I take it you can't swim," he inquired.

Bella chuckled slightly at the statement but her expression remained all the same, "I wish it were that simple, but that's part of it. I'm a devil fruit user as well."

Buggy's eyes widened in shock as he spat out his drink and stared at the girl once again, "What did you just say?"

"A while back, I ate the Cat-Cat Fruit Model: Lion," she responded. "Not purposely though, it was by accident."

"You do realize that you have flashily doomed yourself to a life cursed from the ocean," Buggy responded.

"I know, but I call it a necessary risk for survival," she shrugged off. Her grin became cat-like as her eyes did the same, " Besides, its one of the best things to happen to me. I may not have the fullest control of my abilities just yet, but it has proven to be quite useful."

"I must see a display of your powers Bella," he stated, his fullest attention now grabbed.

"I will gladly show the-" she began, only to be cut off mid sentence.

"Hey Buggy! Get out of our town!" announced a new voice.

The party came to an abrupt halt; the father daughter duo as well as the band of jubilant pirates turned their gaze towards a crowd of angry citizens with large garden tools and uns in their grasps. The scene caused Buggy to erupt into a fit of laughter as he stood to his feet.

"Oh? You flashy fools think you can scare me?" he questioned in amusement.

"We don't want you in our town and we'll be damned if we let you have your way!" the same man announced. The man, possibly the mayor, appeared to be middle aged as small streaks of gray hair were mixed in with his long black hair. He was dressed in a white suit that fitted his skinny body perfectly.

"You must not realize who you're dealing with," the pirate captain stated in slightly annoyance, but amused none the less. "How about I give you a flashy demonstration of how foolish you people are. Ready the Buggy Balls! Hahahahaha!"

Bella stood to her feet and stretched her arm out in front of her father as her catlike grin grew menacing, "Wait...Captain. This is the perfect opportunity to show you my abilities, if you would allow me."

Buggy grinned evilly as he folded his arms over his chest, "Go right ahead Bella. Let's see what you're capable of."

The teenager removed her satchel and sword from her body before throwing them to the side. She approached the townspeople, her menacing expresion never leaving her features, "You know, it's really a shame that you came here while they were throwing a party for me. I haven't even had the chance to enjoy the fun so I'm a little mad about that."

"Hey! You're Bella...the girl from the bar!" announced the young bartender. "You're actually apart of Buggy's crew?"

"That's right and my first task is to get rid of you pests," she informed.

Her body started to change before their very eyes. Fur sprouted from her smooth skin while her hands transformed into paws with a sharp set of black claws. A small groan escaped her lips as her body grew in height, revealing the sharp set of teeth that grew out as well. In a matter of seconds, gone was the teenage girl and in her place, a hybrid lioness stood.

"The girl, she's a devil fruit user too!" cried one of the women.

"Now, this is interesting," Buggy mumbled quietly. "Bella is just full of flashy surprises."

"I hope you're prepared to meet your end," she stated calmly. "If not, you can get aaway now."

"W-We won't back down!" the mayor announced. Despiite the fact he wanted to keep his town safe from the pirates, he did not seem confident in the idea of facing against two devil fruit user. It was practically suicide trying to go against Buggy alone, so another would be pure stupidity.

"I'm real sorry to hear that," she stated. No longer able to hold herself back, she lunged at the citizens.

The people scattered like roaches as they fled from the scene in an attempt to escape the transformed devil fruit user. Unfortunately, the mayor had not been as lucky as he was the first to be caught in her grasp. Bella nearly pounced on the frightened man, her hands pressing against his arms, causing his inability to escape from her terror.

"Please have mercy!" the man yelled in fear.

"I did by giving you a chance to leave," she answered as she stood to his feet.

She grabbed him y the collar of his shirt and using her full strength, smashed his body into the concrete. Blood splattered from the back of his skull but his body continued to move in the slightes forms, indicating he managed to survive the blow.

"Be glad that I didn't end your life right there," Bella stated as she walked away to capture her next bit of prey.

Several men approached her, holding their staffs up defensively as they edged closer to the young woman. Bella stared at them with a blank expression, though somewhat amused by their so called plan, "Is that really the best you can do? I've met kids with more bravery than you're showing right now. If you honestly want to be rid of me or any of tthe other pirates, you're going to have to come at me with everything that you have."

"Be quiet you monster!" yelled the oldest of the group. He charged at Bella with everything he had. As he rushed towards her, the young woman merely watched with a cocky grin until he was only two feet away. Just as he was about to bring hiss weapon forward, she grabbed it effortlessly and firmly with one hand. Using her free hand, she slashed her claws across his chest, revealing his chest and blood rushed out of his body. Before he had the chance to fall back, she quickly grabbed the staff and knocked him into his fell people.

"Devil Fruit users are always labeled as monsters just because our powers are misunderstood," she stated with a smile. "However, I don't mind being called one tthere is one inside of me hanks to this particular fruit. So, does anybody else think they can defeat me?"

"N-No," responded a blonde, frightened man. He picked up the older male, throwing his arm over his shoulder, and along with the other citizens, they fled from the scene.

"What a pity, I wanted to have more fun," Bella stated as she returned to her original form. She walked towards her father and his crew once again, who each expressed their smiles of satisfaction.

"My, you did flashily well Bella," Buggy remarked with folded arms.

"I only wish to do my best so you can rise to greatness...Captain Buggy," she answered as she gave a slight curtsy. She placed her index finger on her chin as she gave a thoughtful expression, "But with that aside, shouldnt we be having a party?"

"That's right, we're supposed to be partying," the clown pirate.

The festivities promptly started again as if it had never paused. They went back to dancing and drinking with one another without a worry in the world while Buggy and Bella watched on in amusement.

"You must feel proud of yourself," stated a new voice.

"Not exactly, I have a long way to go," Bella said absent mindedly. "Besides, that was a bunch of regular citizens. I was holding back a lot." It took a moment that she did did not recognize the voice and gazed at her father and new captain curiously. "Wait, who said that?"

She did not wait for an answer as she turned around to search for the new voice. She stopped when she spotted a tall slender man standing next to the tent. He had a unique hairstyle, colored in green, that covered the left half of his face while the other half in spots was shaved off which was a lighter shade. The man wore a large white and blue checkered scarf that covered the lower portion of his face, a sleeveless purple coat reaching to his knees, white pants held up by a light blue sash and a pair of white shoes.

"Who're you?" Bella questioned cuiously.

The manwore a serious expression on his features, "You may call me Acrobat Cabaji. I am Captain Buggy's second mate."

"Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you Cabaji," she stated, allowing her coy smile to return to her lips. "I'm Bella, Captain Buggy's daughter."

"I never gave you permission to claim that," Buggy yelled, his teeth comically sharp.

His words only fell on deaf ears as the conversation continued onward. Bella only contiinued to smile, "But what did you mean by that comment? I'm curious to know."

"It's exactly as you said," the green haired male responded condescendingly. "You were only tossing aside lesser individuals. I doubt you'll prove your worth against stronger opponents when the time comes. This isn't the place for a weak and sheltered teenage girl."

"That's quite enough Cabaji," Buggy said as he slammed down his mug on the armrest of his chair. A dangerous smile had been placed on his lips as he peered at his second mate through the corner of his eyes, "This is a flashy celebration. While you bring up a valid point, we should be enjoying ourselves…isn't that right?"

"Of course Captain Buggy," he said, his seriousness never fading. He ventured back into the tent, watching as the festivities went on once more.

"He's certainly an interesting character," Bella giggled in amusement. "I suppose he is right though. I have only tested my abilities against weaker people so I don't know how well I'll do against a stronger opponent. Then again, I still need to figure out ways to make full use of my Devil Fruit powers."

A blush had formed on Buggy's cheeks from the amount of booze he had consumed up until this point, "We'll worry about that at another time. Enjoy yourself for now because we'll be leaving shortly."

Bella nodded slightly in response, "Right…_So, we're going to be leaving soon. I guess I should find something more appropriate to wear." _It did not take a genius to realize the men of this particular crew were mostly dressed in colorful, circus like clothing to go along with their captain's theme.

"Is something bothering you Bella?" questioned Buggy.

"Oh it's nothing," she waved off. She stood to her feet, almost stumbling over due to the effects of the alcoholic beverage she swallowed. "I'll be returning shortly. There are a few things I need to get before we leave."

"Make sure you're aboard the ship within the next hour," the blue haired captain informed. "We have a schedule to keep…"

Bella waved absently, making sure to grab her satchel and sword, and walked away into the town. The moment her figure was out of view, Cabaji exited the tent once more and stood by his captain's side.

"Should I keep an eye on her?" he questioned coolly. "For all we know, she could be a bounty hunter trying to capture you.

"You worry too much Cabaji," he responded, as he watched the direction the girl went into. "We don't have a thing to worry about. What she says is in fact the flashy truth."

Bella stood outside clothing shop in the decent sized town. Her walk was relatively quiet as all the inhabitants of the town had fled into their homes; making sure they were well out of the sights of the clown pirate and his crew. "_These people aren't exactly the smartest, but at least they had enough sense to stay out of his way…most of them that is. If they want to die, I can't object to their wishes and I know father would happily oblige to it."_

The teenager pushed the door open and stepped in. The shop was dark, indicating the owner fled to their home rather than take shelter, which was the smartest idea. She flipped on the switch and began to take the time to scan the arsenal of clothing, starting with the rack closest to her. She looked through the clothes until one outfit in particular caught her attention and a catlike grin appeared on her lips yet again.

_One Hour Later…_

"Captain Buggy! We're ready to set sail at your command!" yelled one of the men.

Said captain who stood on the deck of the ship, stared off into the town with an annoyed expression on his features, "Where is that flashy girl? I'm sure I told her well when to be on the ship."

"There's no need to worry, I'm right here. I had to grab something on the way," came Bella's voice from behind. "But the longest was trying to find the right thing to wear."

As Buggy turned around, he saw two treasure chests fall on the wooden deck, capturing his immediate attention. He greedily opened the chests and his eyes lit up at the gold and jewels on the inside and a laugh erupted from his lips, "Hahahaha, I thought my men acquired all of the treasure in this pathetic little town."

The blue haired pirate looked up to his daughter who was now dressed slightly different from before. She now wore a red, frilled sleeved shirt that reached to her elbows and just below her chest, decorated with a large blue star on each side of her chest. The skirt she adorned flared out to the sides, but for security purposes, a pair of blue tights could be seen underneath, all held up by a sash of the same color around her waist.

"This is just something that happened to catch my eye before you arrived," she answered. "I hope it is to your liking."

"Of course, there is nothing in this world greater than treasure," he said deviously. "That is why it is my goal to gain all of the greatest treasures in the world."

"I hope that I will be able to assist you achieving your goal so long as I'm here," the teenager stated happily. "Also, should we run across a stronger pirate crew, I will make sure I'm able enough to defeat them."

"I'm sure you will be a great asset to me Bella," he said as he walked away, the treasure now in tow.

Bella stayed in her position, watching as her father gave out his orders and the subsequent tasks being fulfilled, "_It looks like things will be interesting from this day forward. I'm looking forward to the adventure."_

* * *

**A/N: That's it for now. It took forever to write this chapter, but sometimes I feel like it still isn't where it needs to be. I probably will come back at another point to edit it and improve on this. I don't have much to say except to leave a review of your thoughts and put it on your favorites/alert list. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I am back with another chapter of Misguided Paths. I did not get any notice of reviews, alerts, or favorites, but I do not care. I'm only doing this for my own joy and amusement. If people read and like it that's awesome, but if not, that's fine too. I can't appeal to every individuals appeal. I don't really have much to say at the moment, but I will at the end. Without further ado, I present to you Chapter 3.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the One Piece franchise obviously and never will. **

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**The Day that Started it All! Bella's Unfortunate Ordeal!**

Bella watched as the crew aboard the Big Top continued to celebrate her membership of the Buggy pirates. Ever since they departed the little Vastown hours ago and set the course for the next destination, they partied, danced, and feasted as if they had nothing left to live for. Of course, being a pirate sailing across the dangerous oceans, you never knew when your last day would be. One could lose their life to sickness, a terrible storm that can cause great ruin to the ship, being attacked by another group of pirates, or simply being captured by the marines, especially if the bounty was one of a great amount.

"I wonder how long it'll be before they pass out from the liquor," she mused quietly.

Honestly, she admired their enthusiasm towards parties while aboard the ship or even in the middle of pillage like earlier, despite the fact every citizen wished for the pirates' deaths or departure. Of course, they had every right to be worry-free. They were stronger and more ruthless than the citizens that resided there, and now she was a part of that number.

Still, she was quite surprised they accepted her as one of their own, with the exception of Cabaji for sure, so quickly. They made her feel welcomed, a feeling that she hadn't known about much at all; due to the news of her heritage that spread through her old home village that erupted when she was but a young girl and the subsequent arrival of her Devil Fruit abilities. Her never fading grin enlarged into a full blown cat-ike smile as she thought back to those days, _"If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be the person I am now."_

_Flashback_

_It was a bright and sunny day; not a dark cloud dared to loom in the skies above the island._

_"Hahaha, I'm gonna get you," yelled a small girl. Her blonde hair flowed in the wind as she ran happily behind her several friends in the middle of the quiet street. "You can't get away from me that easy."_

_"We'll see about that!" responded a blue haired girl of the same age. She, along with two other boys, was running from their sunflower dress dressed friend in a fun-filled game. She looked to the left at the blackhaired boy, Leo, who had several scars on his arms and legs, but a smile remained present on his lips. Then she looked to her left where the brown haired child, Saya, had a focused and determined look on his features. "Split up now."_

_The boys nodded. Simultaneously, Saya ventured off to the left side of the street, where several bushes lied and jumped in and Leo wentto the left, ducking off behind the houses, away from total view. That left young Bella who coninued to run in a straight path down the small street. _

_"You better watch out Bella! Hahaha," her blonde friend said, closing in on the blue haired girl. _

_"No way, Shelly! We're gonna make it to the base," she said as she tuck her tounge out. Since she wore a red tshit and black shorts, it was easier for her to move around than her friend in a sundress._

_The girls, only but seven years old, by passed all of the simple white houses into the ouskirts of town where a single tree stood and a medium sized house a few feet away from it. Now that the tree stood in their view, Shelly picked up her speed as did Bella and as they edged closer, they could see the boys standing there with triumphant smiles,though Saya kept his subtle compared to Leo. _

_"Come on Bella, you can do it!" Leo shouted as he waved his arms. "You're almost here!"_

_"Make sure you don't fall this time," Saya commented teasingly._

_"Shut up Saya!" she said annoyedly, yet again sticking her toungue out. _

_Now only mere feet away and Shelly nearly on her tail, Bella used this chance. She applied pressure to her legs and jumped forward as she reached out her arms, allowing her body to fly through the air. The blonde girl tried her hardest to at least reach out and touch her friend's sandal clad feet but to no avail as Bella's hand came into contact with the tree, thus winning the game. Of course, as to be expected, Bella's head came into contact with the tree as well causing her whole body to stop and drop to the floor._

_"Bella!" her friends chorused in worry as they came to her side._

_Almost seemingly impervious to what just happened the girl jumped back up to her feet with a large smile on her face, but the red mark indicated she had indeed hit herself. "Hahahaha, I told you we would beat you Shelly."_

_"I'll be sure to get you guys next time," she responded with a light smile. Her head then tilted to the side in confusion as she examined the mark on her friend's face, "But I think we should get you get that checked. It looks pretty bad."_

_"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Bella remarked, waving off the injury._

_"You don't look fine," the ever blunt Saya commented._

_The daughter of the pirate captain pulled down the skin underneath her eye with her index finger and stuck out her tounge once more in response to her friend, "Nyaaah!"_

_Saya mimicked the girl's actions, causing the two happier children to laugh. However, their antics came to a halt at the sound of the house door opening and a woman stepped out._

_"Bella! It's time to come in!" called the woman._

_"Aaww, mom is calling," the little blue haired girl announced sadly. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."_

_"Bye Bella!" Shelly waved as her friend departed to her home._

_As the girl walked away from the group, her happy expression faded almost instantly as she heard the mumblings of those who appeared to be her friends._

_"I hope we don't get in trouble playing with her," Shelly commented sadly. "Mom would be really mad."_

_"Yeah, my dad keeps saying to stay away from her because she's the daughter of a mean pirate that came here once," Leo informed uing a scary voice. "Plus he said he's a monster and freak with weird powers."_

_"I don't care because she's our friend," Saya said with a shrug of his shoulders. "They can't stop us from playing with her."_

_By this time, Bella approached her mother and entered without meeting her gaze. The black haired woman, Rosalin, sighed to herself as she closed the door behind her and followed her daughter into the kitchen. Just like any other day, Bella sat at the small table and looked down sadly at her empty plate._

_Her mother went to the stove, checking the pots for the current status of the food. However, it wouldn't be a normal day if something from the pot splashed on her purple buttoned down shirt. A light smile appeared on her lips as she looked back to her daughter, "Bella, it'll only be a few more minutes."_

_The blue haired girl comletely ignored the statement and chose to ask something unrelated to the current moment, "Mommy am I trouble?"_

_Rosalin groaned inwardly and went to her daughter's side, her hands on her waist, causing the girl to look up at her. A mischievous grin formed on her lips just before plucking Bella in the spot she hit on her forehead. _

_"Ouch, that hurt!" Bella cried in painas she quickly covered the sensitive area. She glared at her mother in annoyance, "What was that for?!"_

_"You know why," Rosalin responded in a matter of fcat tone. "How many times do I have to tell you to? Stop worrying about what the villagers say! You're the sweetest girl in this village. Who I am or who your father is shouldn't determine who YOU are."_

_"I know, but..." she stated as she tried to hold back her tears. "I might get Shelly...Leo...and Saya in trouble if I keep playing with them. I don't want that to happen because of me."_

"_It's okay sweetie, but I've talked to their parents and they're fine with it," Rosalin stated reassuringly._

_"Are you sure? They might've changed their minds," she said quietly and a pleading look in her eyes._

_"I'm sure, so let's eat this yummy food and get ready for bed," the black haired woman said happily._

_Bella jumped from her seat as she gave her mother a hug, which was happily returned. However, the touching moment came to an abrupt halt as the girl sniffed the air. She quickly turned her attention to the pots which were smoking greatly, "The food is burning!"_

_Rosalin eyes widened in horror at the sight and ran over to the pots, "Oh no not agan! I worked so hard on this too!"_

_"Hahahaha," Bella laughed._

_The Next Day_

_Bella ran as quickly as she could through the village towards the usual meeting point to see what kinds of fun she could get into with her friends for the day. However, as she approached the lake surrounded by several trees on the opposite side of the village, she could see that no one was there. Gradually, she came to a halt as she approaced the small body of water and sat down, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them._

_"Maybe...they can't play with me anymore," she said quietly._

_"Rumble Rumble'_

_A blush spread across her lips as she heard her stomach growl for food. Her lunch really did not last as long as it should have, but of course she did not feel particularly hungry today. She looked to one of the trees, thriving of oranges, but that did not catch her attention. Her focus went onto a red colored fruit with swirls._

_"I've never seen that one before," she said approaching the tree. "I really want that, but how am I gonna get up there...?"_

_The girl jumped several times in an attempt to reach it, but to no avail. While the mysery fruit was on the lowest branch, it was still out of her grasp._

_"I really want that...it looks so yummy too," she mumbled._

_Almost as if listening to her silent prayers for the seemingly delicious fruit, it fell directly on her head along with an orange causing a bump to form on her head. "Ouch...that hurt. What hit me anyway?"_

_She glanced over to the mysterious fruit and drool nearly fell from her lip as she gazed upon the beauty of it. The blue haired snatched up the fruit and took one bite of it. Her pupils vanished and her forehead turned blue at the awful taste, but none the less she swallowed it anyway. "Pleagh! This thing's rotten!"_

_Suddenly, she felt something strange on the inside; as if the fruit was changing her. She grew motionless as her heartbeat sped up and her breathing grew heavy. "What's going on?"_

_"Bella!" chorused the voices of her friends, but their voices fell on deaf ears._

_"Sorry it took so long," Shelly apologized as they stopped behind her. _

_"I hope you're not being a crybaby because we're late," Saya stated._

_They three children circled around the girl in confusion and worry when she did not respond to their calls._

_"Hey Bella, you okay," Leo asked concerned for her health. "What's wrong?"_

_"...I...don't," Bella managed to rasp out. She could feel her insides burning and no matter how much she tried to calm herself, nothing worked. She was sure of it now, that fruit did something weird to her._

_Unwillingly, her body began to transform on its own. A very light layer of tan fur sprouted all over as her body grew larger in height and weight. Her finger nails turned into sharp, black claws while a tail sprouted from her rear. The legs changed into similar form of an animal's rear legs. Finally, her ears rounded off and appeared at the top of her head as her facial features now resembled that of a lion. _

_Saya, Leo, and Shelly eyes all widened in fear at the girl's strange new form. Their pupiils vanished, leaving only the white of their eyes as they fell back on the soft grass. They were too scared to move from their spots or speak a word._

_"I-I can't..." she stuttered as she looked down to the three children. It did not register in her mind that she completely towered over the frightened forms of her friends. _

_"B-Bella's...a...a...monster!" Leo yelled. He turned on his knees and proceeded to crawl away before returning fully to his feet and running off, Saya and Shelly following suite._

_"A...a monster...?" she repeated in confusion. Her predatory eyes fell on her hands, puzzled by her predicament. "W-What's g-going on w-with m-me? Why a-am I-I like t-this? C-Can't I t-turn back to n-normal?"_

_"There she is!" yelled a new voice. "I knew that girl was nothing but trouble since she was born!"_

_"N-No...I'm not...this isn't my fault," her voice came out rougher than usual. It was not her own. She gazed at them in disbelief as they approached her with their weapons, or rather garden tools, of choice with the occasional gun thrown in the mix. A predatory feeling began to emerge inside of her as she watched the group of angry villagers approach her. Her eyes narrowed as they kept edging closer to her. A low growl escaped her lips; she would not die at a young age. She had to get away and find a way back home. Bella raised her arm in the air and swipe at the ground, raising a cloud of dust and dirt plowed towards the citizens. They covered their eyes to prevent the particles from getting into their eyes, permitting the young girl the chance to escape._

_She ran as fast as she possible could away from the place she called home. She did not know where she was going, just going where her feet led her to. Bella arrived at the shore, panting heavily, now relieved she finally gotten away from those crazy people. Bella dropped to her knees panting heavily trying to catch the breathe she lost as she ran for dear life. _

_"Why is this happening to me?" she questioned, a tear sliding down her cheek. "I never did anything to anyone. Do I have to leave now?"_

_"No you don't sweetie," Rosalin answered from behind._

_"Mom?" Bella called as she turned to meet her mother's gaze. "Y-You're not s-scared? Like everyone else?"_

_"Of course not, you're my daughter," Rosalin stated approaching the frightened girl. She placed a comforting hand on Bella's leg and gave her a light smile as the wind breezed by them, allowing her hair to freely fly in the wind. "I could never be scared of you. All that's happened is that you ate a Devil Fruit and just have to get control over it."_

_"A...what?" Bella questioned in confusion._

_"Hmhmhmhm, I'll explain it to you after you turn back to normal and get home," her mother stated._

_"I don't know how," she stated ready to break into another fit of tears._

_"How about...you think really hard about how you look and maybe that'll work," Rosalin stated thoughtfully._

_The new Devil Fruit user closed her eyes tightly and concentrated on her normal appearance with the greatest amount of effort. To her it felt like forever, but in actuality, it only took a minute for her body to revert to its normal form. She opened her eye and looked over features slowly. A happy grin appeared on her lips when she saw she was back to normal. _

_"I'm back mom!" Bella cheered happily._

_"Yes you are and now that that's over," she trailed off. A tick mark appeared on her forehead and her trademark mischiveous grin returned to her lips as she balled her hand into a fist. In seconds, a lump formed on Bella's head which she promptly rubbed the area of injury, "What did I tell you about eating strange things! Now look what happened to you! You're lucky I heard all the commotion and managed to catch up to you!"_

_"I'm sorry!" the blue haired girl cried. _

_"The important thing is you're not hurt," Rosalin stated as she pulled her daughter into a hug. _

_"W-What's gonna happen now?" Bella questioned through tears._

_"I don't know sweetie, but we'll work it out," she responded._

_Flashback end_

_"Mother was the only one accepting of me having these powers,"_ the teenager mused. _"Everyone else in the village never wanted any part of me after it all happened...but then again...they never really had the chance after 'it' occured."_ She sighed to herself yet again, _"I have to stop thinking back to sad memories though, but the events of that day changed my life..."_

"Richie! Stop!" cried a panicked voice.

Bella turned around at the very second a large, purple maned lion pounce directly on her. The girl fell on the wooden deck with the lion growling in her face viciously. However, she was unfazed by the attack, knowing it was only natural for the lion to attack anyone unfamiliar to the crew. Her grin returned to her lips as she gazed the beast directly in his eyes, "So you must be Richie. It's nice to meet you."

She then looked to the side as pair of white fur paw-like shoes entered her peripheral vision.

"Get off of her Richie! That's Captain Buggy's daughter!" the man yelled.

Almost immediately, the lion jumped back, almost in fear next to who could be labeled as his own, freeing the teenager from her temporary confinement. While she had not been scratched, Richie's claws did leave marks on her revealed skin. Bella sat up from her position, pulling her knee towards her chest and allowed her arm to rest on it as she looked up at the individual.

"I'm sorry about that," the man apologized. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Beast Tamer Mohji!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mohji," the teenager stated. Her eyes examined the peculiar male standing before her. His white hair was groomed to in a fashion exactly like a bear. His fur short sleeved shirt stopped mid-way his chest, revealing his abs which were in peak condition, and to top it off, a pair of blue pants with a yellow sash tied around his waist. "And I suppose Richie there is your beast. He certainly seems protective of this crew. You trained him well."

"Of course! I can train any animal to be under my control," he bragged.

The teenager stood to her feet and walked towards the feline beast, grinning as if she did not have a care in the world, "Is that so? Please be sure he doesn't assault me again or there might be trouble."

Mohji immediately grew angry at the latter part of her comment and defensively jumped in front of the sweating lion, "You will not lay a single hand on Richie!"

"I never said that I would," she responded amusedly before walking away.

Bella walked towards her father, who continued to slowly drink away at the seemingly unlimited amount of alcohol aboard the ship. She stood by his side, her back against the wall and arms folded over her bust.

"So, are you prepared Bella?" Buggy questioned grinning wickedly.

"Yes, I am," she answered simply. "I can tell this will be an interesting journey and believe when I say will help you achieve your goal."

TO BE CONTINUED!

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**A/N: And that brings us to an end of this installment of Misguided Paths. Now that it's the third chapter, I'll give you a few little facts about our dear main character Bella. As you can see, she's not our goody-two-shoes hero who will be joining the Straw Hats and help save the day from whatever trouble that arises. No, she'll be the one causing the trouble in the attempts of helping Buggy gain all the treasure in the world and become pirate king. Her personality is somewhat twisted and enjoys toying with people's emotions due to her experiences back when she was a child. However, she only wishes to find acceptance among those she care about and can be considered 'kind' towards only children. She will not back down from anyone who steps in her way unless she's over the sea or even near a body of water. Hopefully, you will enjoy her presence. Anyway, that's all I have to say. Be sure to leave your thoughts in the box below.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys, I am back with the newest chapter of Misguided Path. I'm so happy for all the favorites and alerts that you guys made for this so far. I am glad you guys were so patient for the newest update and I apologize for the wait; I had caught a little case of writer's block.**

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own the One Piece franchise; it is owned by Toei Animation and Eiichiro Oda. I am merely a fan who likes to write this for pure entertainment purposes.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**Buggy and Bella! Special Moment between Father and Daughter!**

"_Please! Stop! Get away from me!" a man yelled in terror. _

_The night howled with rage as thunderous storm clouds clapped violently and the wind whipped forcefully on the land below. A storm was approaching the small island located in the West Blue Sea. The citizens residing in the various towns took the necessary precautions when they noticed the signs of the dangerous approaching their home to avoid major damages. However, this particular soul was unfortunate enough to wind up in the midst of it as he had practically been ran out of his own house, leaving him in his current predicament._

_A large, hulking figure of nearly seven or eight feet tall towered over the frightened male as he had backed away into the darkest corner of the alley. The figure gazed at him with dark eyes full of anger and hatred, "Yes, you'd like that…wouldn't you?" The voice of the mysterious stranger was that of a female's but it held certain gruffness to it. "However…I still need to repay you for everything you've done for me…all that kindness must be repaid."_

_The man's body was nearly petrified by the calmness of the voice and the underlying amusement in it, "No! Go back! Y-you're a monster!"_

_A low growl could be heard escaping from their lips, "There it is again…more of that kindness…that hatred. You ordinary humans fear what you cannot understand, but it's funny actually. I've always been regarded as a monster my whole life, even when I was a harmless little girl. You people are nothing but fools."_

_The man could only widen his eyes in terror as the stranger took one step forward. That one move was enough to close in on his body, landing only mere inches away from his legs which could cause damage should it have come in contact. With his back and arms already pushed against the wall, he quickly pulled his knees into his chest as he went to frightening stare back into the eyes of his apparent predator, "I-I'm sorry! Please, j-just leave m-me alone!"_

_The soulless, hazel eyes narrowed as a feral grin appeared on their lips, "I must apologize myself as I cannot do that; not just yet at least. I wish to show you just how much of a monster I truly am."_

Bella's eyes opened before the dream could proceed any further. She was now met with the sight of the wooden ceiling of her bedroom aboard the Big Top. The teenager sat in an upright position, leaving one hand sitting on the bed and covered part of her face with the other. She remained quiet as her mind lingered on the mysterious dream or rather the memory that played during her slumber. Her lips twisted into a small grin, "_It's amazing how these emotions continue to haunt me. I may be a freak and a monster to just about everybody I've met, but the fruit granted me my amazing abilities."_

An insane laughter escaped her lips, clearly amused by the previous events in her life. She grew quiet after a few moments, "_I'm not mad at all. They will never understand, but I have found the place where I feel I belong."_

Bella threw the covers to the side and swung her legs over the side of the bed, sliding her feet into her boots. She stood up and walked towards the door, exiting the room. To give her a little bit of privacy without leaving her in the darkest depths of the ship, her room was at the end of a staircase that led to the deck.

She walked up the stairs and with every step she took the wooden boards creaked until she reached the door at the top. She swung the door open to reveal a dimly lit sky as the sun was now beginning to rise over the planet, reflecting an orange light onto the sea. As to be expected, the deck was void of all apparent life with only the fish leaping into the air as the only indication of existence in the immediate area, "I'm not surprised that they're all still asleep. As much as they drink, it's only natural."

"Not quite," the familiar voice of her father responded. The clown pirate walked down the steps leading from the upper deck and joined the girl as she approached the railing, though he kept a small little distance.

She leaned on the railing and focused her attention to the serene waters as she rested her chin on her hand, "I thought you would be asleep as well father."

The word father continued to strike an unfamiliar sensation, pride perhaps, at the captain, but he chose to let it slide. The fact that he now had a daughter who wished to follow him in his footsteps and respected him had indeed inflated his ego to a certain extent. He knew it would not be long until the teenager had the chance to pillage one of the ships that happened to come across them during the voyage to the next island. During his days as a member of Gol D. Roger's crew, he learned to proper ways of scavenging pirate ships and homes for treasure.

He folded his arms over his chest with his ever present cocky grin on his lips, "Of course not my dear Bella. A captain never rests, even you should know that. Besides, I cannot flashily die until I have obtained all the treasures in the world."

Bella covered her mouth to hide the mischievous grin plastered on her face, "I guess that explains those bags you have under your eyes."

"What…was that?" Buggy questioned slowly. His pupils had dilated and an angry tick mark appeared on the back of his head. He detached his hand from his body with the aid of his devil fruit powers and used it to grab onto the collar of her shirt and pulled her in dangerously close to him. "What did you say about my nose?! Even if you are my daughter, I will not hesitate to flashily kill you."

While his voice reflected his seething anger and killer intent, Bella merely stared back with an annoyed expression and a sweat drop clinging to the back of her head, "I never said anything about your nose. You're just hearing thins. I said that explains the _bags _under your _eyes!" _

His anger almost vanished instantly at the repeat of her statement and gave her a slightly puzzled look in response, "So…that's what you said." His anger returned again a moment later upon the realization, "That still doesn't make it any better!"

"_Looks like mom and just about everyone else were right about his paranoia," _she thought unamused.

The clown pirate released his hold on the girl and recalled his hand to his body. He clenched his hand repeatedly to ensure it had connected properly, but even if it didn't, it was an easy fix for him. His scowl turned up into what could be labeled as an angry smile, "Well, let that be your warning. I do not take kindly to insults so do watch your tongue."

Bella fixed her shirt properly once again and went back to her water watching, "Noted, but I won't be as foolish as anyone else as to openly insult you. That's simply a death wish in the making."

"Smart girl," he responded, pleased with her answer. "You have been taught well."

"So I've been told," she said glancing sideways at her father. "I just know not to make comments at the obviously touchy subjects about a person…unlike most people." Her eyes darkened as her mind wandered back to the tragic events that unfolded in her short life. A low growl escaped her lips as her eyes flashed into that of her feline form's, "They always want to point out the obvious as if we don't know anything. They think that it's fine to disregard our feelings." Her anger vanished as quickly as it came and smiled deviously as she stared into the serene waters underneath the ship, "But they learn after the mistake is made. They never know what is coming to them until it's too late. Every time…I made sure my feelings had been returned."

"That's how it's supposed to go," Buggy commented with a grin.

"Right, but I've changed greatly from then," she stated plainly. "I used to be a very unforgiving person when I was younger and had little control over my powers and even after actually. Most people wanted me dead or simply out of sight just because of what I was. We could never sit in one place for too long because they somehow found out about my Devil Fruit powers, so it was hard on the both of us. Although just before we'd depart the town, I'd repay every last person for their…_hospitality. _Now though, I simply channel my anger in a more constructive manner and as I said before, I will use my abilities to help you achieve your dream."

"Oh, and what of your own?" he inquired, now curious of the girl's desires.

The teenager merely remained quiet for a few moments before answer, "I don't necessarily have one right now, but I'd figure that's like anyone else on this crew. Your dream is their dream. If there is anything I wish to accomplish, it will happen along the way. As far as I can see it, I am here just to help you obtain the One Piece."

"Don't even mention that to me!" Buggy erupted angrily. He smashed his hand into the railing as he growled in anger, "My chance at getting the One Piece was lost years ago because of that flashy bastard Shanks! If it wasn't for that damn red-haired man, I wouldn't have my Devil Fruit powers and lost my ability to swim!"

"You're blaming others for your misfortune," the teenager stated in a matter of fact tone. "While he may be the reason behind it, you shouldn't be holding a grudge against him. In fact you should be thanking him in a sense. You can do things no other can, even other users like myself or the next person. In my case, I only had myself to blame but I eventually got over it. My mother trained me on how to fight and to control myself with the best of her abilities. It was the hardest task I ever had to endure but I'm grateful that she pushed me to give it my all. If it weren't for her, I'd probably be on a much darker path than I am now."

"That's quite the flashy statement you have there," the blue haired man stated. "And I may even take your words into consideration… but only after giving that flashy bastard a piece of my mind!"

"_I can tell that grudge he holds for this Shanks guy is held deep within him," _she mused to herself. _"It would be funny if he forgot about the whole incident even happening. I'm sure that would tick him off."_

"You won't dare lay a finger on Richie!" Mohji muffled voice yelled.

"I told you to keep that stupid lion away from me!" Cabaji retorted angrily. "And since you don't listen, I'll just use him as an example!"

The three burst through another set of doors: first Richie, then Cabaji on his unicycle and swords, and followed up by Mohji with his whip.

Bella sighed to herself in response to eruptions of anger from the other side of the ship, "_Only here for a few days and those two are already driving me crazy."_

The two merely paid no mind to the trio as they ran through the ship. It was nearly an everyday thing where Cabaji and Mohji were arguing about a topic no matter how trivial it may be. They were rivals locked in combat, usually to determine who would remain as Buggy's first mate, even though it was his decision to choose. However, the father and daughter failed to pay attention to the fact that the lion was running straight for them and he was not slowing down as he failed to focus on the obstacles ahead of him, more concerned about the swords in the acrobat's hands.

Richie turned his gaze towards the front in just enough time to come to a halt. However, he still came into contact with the teenager, sending her overboard into the water. Cabaji, Mohji, Richie, and Buggy as well, all gaped as they watched the maiden fall in the water with a loud splash. After a moment of silence, Buggy's pupils dilated as neither of the two even bothered to move a muscle. A tick mark appeared on the back of his head and glared at his top nakama, "Stand there one more second and die." His voice was disturbingly calm despite what his facial expressions displayed, but they knew he was extremely pissed off. "GO AFTER HER YOU FLASHY IDIOTS!"

"Yes Captain Buggy!" they responded in unison.

Meanwhile, Bella helplessly sunk to the bottom of the sea. She was unable to move a single muscle due to the consequences of her Devil Fruit abilities. She could only hold her breathe and watch as the sun slowly but surely vanish from her sight. "_Is this the end of me? There's so much more I still need to accomplish. I can't just die like this!"_

She could feel her oxygen in her lungs begin to deplete to practically nothing. Her eyes soon closed, failing to notice the two silhouettes swimming directly towards her.

The first and second mates swam as fast as they could to catch up to the daughter of their captain, but as they did so, the two of them constantly pushed each other out of the way. They figured whoever could save her first, they would remain in the good spirits of their captain and in Cabaji's case he would gain the title of first mate.

"_You can't beat me Mohji," the ever so cool acrobat grunted. "I will be the one to bring her back to the captain."_

"_You can try all you want, but I won't let you!" _the beast tamer retorted.

As they reached closer to Bella, they outstretched their arms in order to grab a hold of her legs. Each time they swung a hand, she inched away from their range. Finally, they wrapped a hand around each of her ankles and used the chance to pull her in close and swim towards the surface. She opened her eyes for just a moment, feeling the set of hands on her body and closed them again. In a matter of moments, they breached the surface of the water and looked to the ship with expectant eyes.

"Captain Buggy! We've found her!" Mohji yelled.

The blue haired captain looked over the edge of the ship, spotting his nakama with his daughter in tow, "Well, it's about time. Chop-Chop Cannon!" The man's hands detached from his body yet again and flew towards the trio, though they only grabbed the unconscious teenager and pulled her back to the ship. Her entire body was soaking wet though her hair would be the biggest issue for her to deal with once she awakened again.

"Captain! What about us?!" Mohji yelled in terror. "You can't just leave us here!"

"I should considering your flashy argument nearly killed our newest member," the man with an annoyed tick mark. His hands levitated towards the two men and firmly grabbed onto their shirts just before pulling them upwards to the ship once more. He dropped the two roughly on the deck without as much as a warning. "You're lucky you two have been a great service to me."

"It won't happen again!" the two responded simultaneously. They glared at one another with sparks connecting to each other's eyes.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," he said with a grin. "Isn't that right, Bella?"

A sudden chill ran down their spines as they felt a killer intent directed towards them. A large sweat drop clung to the back of their heads as they reluctantly turned around to meet the fierce gaze of the hazel eyed teenager. Her bangs shadowed her eyes, allowing only a gleam to twinkle through the strands.

The acrobat put on a brave face, unbothered by her fearsome expression, "I am not afraid of some girl. She is years away from even coming close to me in battle."

Mohji chuckled to himself as he was amused by the whole situation but the sweat drop clinging to his head said otherwise, "Oh please, there's nothing you could possibly do to scare us."

Without a word, Bella grinned deviously in response. Using one hand, she grabbed onto the acrobat's wrist and with the other, gripped onto the beast tamer's forearm. She applied a great amount of pressure that caused them to kneel on the ground, yelling in pain.

"W-What the hell are you doing?!" Mohji cried out angrily. "Are you trying to kill us?"

"I could…but where would be the fun in that?" she asked darkly. "I just have a little surprise for you two...and that stupid lion as well."

Suddenly, Bella picked up the two men from the floor with little effort and threw them overboard. They dropped in with two loud splashes, but they quickly breached the surface in a matter of seconds. However, the relief was short lived as Richie's large form was falling directly over them.

"RICHIE!" Mohji panicked as he extended his arms in the air. "I've got you!"

Just like the two before him, the lion fell into the shark and beast infested water along with his owner and the rival. Bella merely watched in amusement as they desperately tried to return to the safety of The Big Top without the aid of their captain. She looked back to her father with a happy grin on her lips as if nothing had ever happened, "So, now where were we?"

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**A/N: And that is the end of this little chapter. I wish I could've made it longer, but right now, I'm still trying to get used to writing stories for One Piece, so it may take a little while for me to give the full effect of the story telling. Anyway, I am glad you guys were so patient with the next installment and I will try my best to get another chapter out to you guys as soon as possible. Please be sure to send in a review telling me of your thoughts about what you liked or didn't like and what I could do to improve on it. So, until we meet again!**

**Ruby Dynasty**

**P.S.: I would really appreciate it if you guys leave some feedback. I really want to know what you all think because I can't improve if you guys are quiet as mice.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/n: I guess from the looks of things, people really don't enjoy the story because of the number of views I get for the story and the two reviews I have so far. What's the point of putting the story on your alerts list or favorites if you're not going to say anything about it? I would like to have some feedback to know what's going on inside of your minds rather make assumptions. I know it sounds like I'm complaining, which I am, but I just want some proof to see if you guys are really enjoying it. Anyway, without further ado, I present to you Chapter 5.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece and never will. It is owned by Eiichiro Oda and Toei Animation.**

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**Chapter 5**

**Arrival at the 40 Year Old Orange Town!**

Bella yawned jadedly as she sat in the crow's nest to watch for any approaching ships or upcoming islands, but now she regretted volunteering for the task. Since the past two incidents during her stay aboard the ship so far, the 2nd being earlier in the morning, she preferred to remain at a distance from the pompous beast tamer and mysterious acrobat before she wound up killing them. Of course, this left her with a lack of entertainment as there was not even a single vessel drifting through the sea, but she knew it would be a matter of time before something popped up on them.

"Why did I ask father to do this?" Bella questioned to herself. "It's nothing to do up here. I don't understand how anyone can stay up here all the time and watch for nothing."

She raised the binoculars to her eyes to see the silhouette of an island in her view. She grinned deviously at the sight and put it back on the side, "Perhaps I spoke too soon. I guess there will be a bit of action around here soon enough. But…I wonder." The young maiden reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a folded up piece of paper with the writing, '_Save until later'_ written in bold letters. "Maybe I can get this done now. It shouldn't take that long for me to get it done before the ship actually arrives."

The teenager's grin widened as she stood to her feet, placing the slip of paper back into the safety of her pocket. She looked down to the deck where some of the crew members, including her father, were gathered. Her father sat comfortably on his throne laying one cheek on his hand while slowly tapping his fingers on the armrest as he glared angrily at the obviously nervous nakama in front of him, who slowly backed away from the clown pirate. She raised her eyebrow, now somewhat interested in the situation occurring below, "_Looks like that guy got on my father's bad side. He probably said something about his nose or did something wrong…"_

Without a word, she jumped over the crow's nest, landing ever so gracefully on her feet with a thump several feet behind the crowd of men. She made her way over to her father's side, only bearing a side glance at the man. Buggy made no recognition of his daughter's presence as he raised his resting arm and detached the gloved hand from his body. In a flash, the man was floating in the air as the limb clenched around his neck, blocking his airwaves. The captive man pulled at Buggy's hand, only for the grip to grow even tighter, slowly crushing the bones in his neck.

"Now, who has a big nose?" the captain questioned sinisterly.

"I-A-I'm g-gs-or-ry," the man strangled out.

"You flashily disobeyed my orders and for that, you must die," Buggy stated remorselessly.

There was a sickening crunch as the hand applied a final, force of pressure, instantly ending his life. His body dropped to the floor in front of the viewers. Bella quietly scanned the crowd, taking note of the frightened individuals who stood there and watched the scene unfold. Bella merely looked on impassively as two of the men swiftly picked up the corpse and prepared to do away with the now useless man.

"I'm sorry that you had to see that, Bella," he stated grinning wickedly. "But you can take that as an example of what can ultimately happen if you flashily insult me."

"I've seen, endured, and done worse," she said with a light smile. "It really goes to show that people are a bunch of idiots."

"Hahahahaha," Buggy laughed heartily. "I suppose that you truly are of my blood Bella, but on another note, I hope you have brought me good news."

The teenager nodded in response, "Yes, I have. I saw an island up ahead, so it won't be much longer until we can get off the ship for a while."

"Well it's about time," the red-nosed individual said eagerly. "I was actually growing a little bored and I'm sure the men were growing restless as well."

"_Bored isn't the word for it," _she thought, a sweat drop clinging to the back of her head. "Anyway, I was wondering, before the ship reaches the island, I'd like to go ahead and do some things there."

The pirate captain's curiosity was peaked at his daughter's question as he lifted his eyebrow, "Oh, and what's that?"

Bella raised her index finger and placed her other hand on her hip with one eye closed, "It's a surprise."

Buggy remained quiet as if he was contemplating the idea. He had no reason to be suspicious of any of her activities. She truly did appear to be completely loyal to him and wanted him to achieve his goal, so what reason did he have to be paranoid? His smile widened after a moment, "You have my permission, but make sure you're ready for our arrival. I wouldn't want you to be stuck on the receiving end of the Buggy Balls."

"Of course," she said happily.

He observed the crowd who merely continued to stand in silence from the previous deadly event. His eyes stopped on a nearly identical pair of men who immediately snapped to attention the second his eyes grew focused on them. "You there! Prepare the small boat for Bella here and escort her to the island safely."

"YES CAPTAIN BUGGY SIR!" they saluted simultaneously before moving off to complete the assigned task.

"If you get in trouble, don't expect anyone to save you," Cabaji stated from behind.

"I am capable of handling myself," she responded casually just before she walked away. "I'll be seeing you all soon enough." She stopped at the area where the two men finished preparing the smaller boat for their departure. They held onto the rope as they jumped in, one on each end, leaving her the seat in the middle.

"We're ready whenever you are Lady Bella," announced the one to the left.

The daughter of Buggy stepped lightly into the boat and took her seat. The identical men nodded at one another and slowly released the rope to allow the boat to descend to the surface of the water. Once it was no rope left, they let go and splashed onto the water. Once stable, they each picked up a set of oars and proceeded to row in the same direction of the boat but at a much faster speed. Bella remained quietly as she observed the two men. They both had smooth tanned skin, black eyes, shaggy heads of jet black hair, and equally colorful clothing to match the theme of her father's ship. However, there was one small difference between that distinguished one from the other: the one to her right had a scar running from one side of his face to the other just underneath his eyes.

He noticed her staring at him and laughed nervously, "I'm sure you've noticed by now but me and brother here are definitely twins. I'm Nikail."

"Kole," the other stated simply.

Bella smiled lightly in response, "It's a pleasure to formally meet you both. I do hope I can trust you with my life as we make this trip. If not, I'm sure there will trouble to be had."

The twins sweated profusely at the apparent threat she made towards them should her life ever become threatened until the arrival at the island. Not only would they have to deal with her fury once the event was over, but they'd have to deal with their captain as well, who would possibly kill them. It was of the most absolute importance to keep any and all dangers away from the teenager or else.

She chuckled to herself as she watched the two grow extremely nervous and proceeded to row the boat as fast as they could. She figured they assumed the faster they got to the island, the less trouble to occur on the way, "_It's so easy to scare my father's crew…most of them that is."_

She closed her eyes as she sat quietly in her position, enjoying the breeze of air and the sun beaming against her skin as they sailed quickly through the water. She opened her eyes once more and stared over the side of the boat into the water, watching as fish swam in schools towards destinations unknown. From time to time, she could see the shadows of the birds flying over the water as well as snatching up the fish that breeched the surface of the blue liquid.

The teenager allowed her to close as she drifted into a peaceful nap.

"Wake up Lady Bella," announced Kole as he shook the teenager awake. "We've arrived."

Bella's eyes fluttered open at the announcement and blankly stared off into the distance as her mind had not completely caught up just yet. She shook her head and stretched out her limbs as she released a loud yawn, feeling a tad bit refreshed from her nap. The teenager climbed out of her boat to the deck and took the chance to analyze the surroundings, _"This doesn't seem too bad. In fact, this place doesn't look like it has even been here for too long."_

"Is everything alright Lady Bella," Nikail questioned curiously.

"It's quite alright," she answered absent mindedly. She began to walk away with her hands on her hip, "Do what you want, just don't cause any trouble. I'm sure the captain wouldn't be too happy if you had fun before everyone else arrived."

The red-clad female vanished from their view as she headed into the quaint little town. All around her were old-styled wooden homes where the doors stood a few feet from the ground with only a small set of stairs leading to them. Each house seemed outwardly identical to one another, though the color schemes differed and she could only assume every house looked different on the inside as well.

However, the streets were far from vacant. The citizens of the town walked around on the outside with their families, but while it did seem like they were distracted, they all had their eyes on the teenager. Some halted in their tracks and stared off in her direction nervously or worriedly because she was not one of their own, but this did not go unnoticed by the teenager. She merely smiled to herself as she covertly examined the movements and body language of the townspeople. Due to her many situations, her senses always remained on edge and should anybody try to attack her, she would be ready and waiting to quickly end their attempts.

"_Who is that mommy?" _

"_That girl, she's not from here…"_

"_She must be a lost traveler. She appears to be nice enough."_

"_They already know I'm not from here," _she thought amusedly to herself. "_It's not that big so they probably know one another very well. I can't let them know just yet that I am a member of my father's crew. They'll just see when it's time."_

She came to a sudden halt as she came up to a pet shop. While it was surprising for a pet shop to be on a small island, that was not what she found peculiar. Instead, it was a white dog sitting unmoving in front of the building that caught her absolute attention. She turned to meet its fierce gaze and stared back at it as it continued to look at her. "What's a little guy like you doing right there?"

The dog did not budge an inch or even bark, only glaring at the Devil Fruit user. She approached the dog and bent down to his eye level, smiling happily at the focused canine, "Hey there. Aren't you just a cutie?"

She reached her hand forward to pet the dog on his head, but before she knew it, Bella felt an extremely sharp pain biting into her soft skin. The dog had bit her and it was not releasing her. An angry tick mark formed on the back of her head while she tightly clenched her teeth together, "_This. Damn. Dog."_

"LEAVE POOR CHOUCHOU ALONE!" yelled a voice from a distance.

She turned her attention to an elderly man running right towards her. He ran behind the white dog and pried the dog's mouth from her hand. While blood had not drawn, the bite marks from his teeth were visible on her skin. Bella growled inwardly as she soothed the aching pain her hand was in as she eye over the man as he placed the dog back on the ground, who went back to his guard dog position. He appeared to be an elderly mayor probably in his 60s as his head was full of white hair though groomed to his liking and a pair of standard-shaped glasses. He was dressed in a yellow plaid shirt and dark green pants with brown shoes.

"I was only trying to pet him and he bit me," she stated, glaring at the canine. "_Damn dog…you're lucky he came."_

"ChouChou doesn't take kindly to strangers," the elderly looking man responded as he suspiciously examined the teenager. He raised his eyebrow skeptically, "Who are you? You're not from this town."

Bella put on her happiest smiles and clasped her hands behind her back, "My name is Bella and I'm just a simple traveler on the seas."

"Really? All by yourself? You do realize the sea is a dangerous place for a young one like you," the man chided. "Just be glad you made it here safe and sound."

"I know, you wouldn't believe how happy I was to make it to land," she stated in the most relieved tone as possible. "But may I ask where I am?"

The man smiled happily, "Why, you're on Organ Island but you're in Orange Town to be exact and I am its mayor, Boodle."

"It's really a pleasure to meet you Mayor," she respectfully bowed. "And the place you call home is so lovely. It reminds me of the little village I grew up in when I was younger."

"I'm glad our town can help you feel right at home," Boodle stated happily. "This hadn't always been here. Forty years ago, our old home was attacked and ravaged by a band of pirates so we had to flee to a new home. When we arrived here, this town was nothing but a barren plain, but we worked together and built this place from scratch. This is the treasure we all worked together to create."

"That's really amazing," Bella stated, intrigued by the mayor's story. "There's more I'd like to ask, but there is something I wish to do first. Where is your local doctor's office?"

"I will gladly show you the way," he offered. "We wouldn't want you to get lost now."

"After you," she said, gesturing the man to show her the building.

The two began to walk, but as they did so, the teenager looked back at the dog who continued to stare off into the distance, "_That place must be special to him for some reason. It's like he's waiting for someone to come back or just trying to protect it in his own way."_

"So, where exactly are you from to be traveling alone?" he questioned curiously. He had long since noticed the sheathed sword she carried at her waist and it made him rather nervous. No ordinary person generally carried one on them unless they were a pirate or a civilian on a journey an extremely long way from home.

Bella did not answer right away. She remained silent for a moment before speaking, "It's really far from here. I forgot what sea I'm from because after a while, I started to move around a lot…because of somethings. Although, I do think my mother said it was the West Blue. My memory is a little fuzzy."

"I'm sorry you had to go through the troubles you have suffered," he stated sympathetically. "I can understand how it is to leave the place you held dear to your heart, but at least you had a family to keep you close."

"That was the thing I was grateful to have," she said smiling as an image her mother ran through her mind. "Everything else was unimportant as long as I was with my mother."

Boodle stopped in his tracks and raised his arm towards the building to their left, "This is where you can see the doctor. He is the best around so you have nothing to worry about."

The teenager nodded, smiling innocently at the man innocently, though she was far from it, "Thank you very much mayor. I really appreciate the kindness you have shown to a stranger like me.

"It was my pleasure," he stated proudly. "As mayor, I must ensure that all of my residents and guests are treated with kindness."

She nodded once more and entered the small building. The moment she closed the door behind her, she could feel the air of hospitality within the office. The office walls were painted with cream colored painting where pictures of various patients could be seen. There were a few tables lined against the wall which were used to hold up the plant decorations. Finally, just dead ahead of her was the receptionist's desk where the secretary sat quietly reading through the newspaper.

"Hello," Bella greeted, approaching the desk.

"AAH!" The secretary, a young woman no older than she was, grew startled and fell back in her chair to the floor.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you," the red-clad female stated as she peeked over the desk. "Are you okay?"

The secretary blew a strand of her brown hair out of her face and merely laughed at her little predicament before responding, "Hahaha, I'm alright and it's quite fine. I should've been paying more attention; I didn't even here you step in." She quickly pulled herself together and stood to her feet while placing the chair back into position. She flashed a quick smile as she sat back down, now fully attentive of her surroundings yet again. "I'm Tessa. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"I'm Bella. I wanted to see if the doctor was in so I can have a little tattoo put on," she answered.

"Oh, what kind of tattoo is it?" the brown haired girl questioned eagerly.

"It's a secret," Bella stated playfully.

"I guess that's fair," she sighed disheartened. "I'm really not supposed to asking those kinds of questions, but I tend to get a little excited. Anyway, let me see if he's busy or not. As you can see, we don't get many patients at a time."

Tessa swiftly walked into the next room through the door behind the desk, leaving the Devil Fruit user to her own bearings. The moment the door shut behind her, her catlike grin appeared on her lips, "_People are so easy to fool, but I know some of them realize I will be nothing but trouble for them. If only they knew what was really on the way at this very moment. Everything I do is in the name of my father. We will plunder this town of all of its treasure and move on to the next."_

"Miss Bella," Tessa called, snapping the pirate from her thoughts. Her head was poking through the door with a light smile on her lips, "The doctor will see you. Just come this way."

Bella nodded and walked to the opposite side of the desk and through the door, which led to a small hallway. There were a few doors leading to different rooms but she was directed to the first one to her left. Bella walked into the room and as to be expected, it was designed the same as any other clinic that she had seen up until this point, where the doctor stood waiting.

"Hello Miss Bella is it?" he greeted cautiously to make sure he heard her name correctly. He waited for her nod of confirmation before he continued, "You must be new in town so it's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine," she stated smiling. She observed the man quietly as she took her seat on the mattress in the center of the room. He appeared to be in his late 30s perhaps his early 40s as there were a few signs of his auburn hair turning a lighter shade. He did not wear a traditional white coat but instead a red button down shirt, a pair of khaki pants, and black loafers. "I hope this isn't too much of a bother to you, but I really wanted to get this as a surprise for my father."

"It's no problem at all Miss Bella," he stated lightly smiling. "In fact you are the first person to come in for the day. Now, what is it that you want? Do you have a design that I can use?"

Bella lied down on her back before pulling out her slip of paper and waved it in the air for him to see. He retrieved the sheet of paper and unfolded it. Almost immediately, his body grew stiff as his eyes widened in shock, his mouth was gaped wide open, and nervous beads of sweat appeared on the sides of his face as he looked at the contents of the sheet. "Y-You're a-a-apart…o-of…hi-his…crew?"

The blue haired teenager stared at him wickedly and swiftly unsheathed her sword. She pointed the edge of the sword lightly against his neck, but it was enough to cause a trickle of blood to slide down his skin. He did not budge or even whisper a word for fear of his life.

"You will not say _a word," _she stated calmly and fiercely. "You will only do what I have asked of you and leave it be until the main fleet arrives. Should you give off any warning before their arrival the consequences will be rather dire. Do you understand?" He nodded slowly in response, unable to respond in any other way. Bella removed her sword and sheathed it once more. She pointed to the left side of her stomach as indication of where she wanted the tattoo. "Right here and do try to make it fast. It won't be too much longer until the arrival."

The frightened doctor swiftly gathered his materials and went to work on the task. He was sure if he did not do it to the exact specifications, his life could surely be ended for making a simple mistake. He had to please the teenager in some fashion or else.

"_I didn't even have to show him my power," _she thought amusedly to herself. "_Ordinary people really are scared of just about anything. I do hope this process doesn't take a long time. I wanna be there when the fun begins."_

Bella closed her eyes once more, but her body remained rigid as she was aware of the type of pain she was putting her body through for the permanent mark. She allowed herself to drift off into another blissful sleep, but before long, something shaking against her body once more. She snapped her eyes open to see the dark eyes of the doctor staring directly at her before he averted his gaze.

"The tattoo…is finished," he announced begrudgingly.

Bella attempted to move her body, but the sudden movement caused the pain to hit her full force. While it was not an excruciating pain, it was enough to immobilize her for a few moments before trying again. She stood to her feet and walked over to the mirror on the other side of the room and examined the new mark. A large grin appeared on her lips as the jolly roger of her father's ship stood out on her skin just below her midriff, big red nose and all. "It's perfect doctor. Thank you."

"I'm glad it's to your liking," the older man stated. "Now, just leave. I don't want your payment, being able to live is good enough for me."

She smiled happily and proceeded to exit the building without as much of a word to Tessa who merely watched on in confusion. When she exited the building, the sun's rays beamed onto her body though she was unfazed by the heat of the large star. The teenager merely walked in the direction she came with the mayor, but this time there was something off. As she walked, she could feel all eyes on her despite the fact the streets were clear of all life. It was rather obvious the citizens of the town watched cautiously from the windows and now that she had her tattoo, they had every reason to be scared of her. She was part of the crew that would be pillaging their home in a just a short amount of time.

After some time, she arrived at the docks where the set of twins were still waiting for her, staring at the Big Top as it came to a stop at the docks. Bella merely watched as all of the men aboard the ship vacated it, running at full speed right past her with their swords and guns in tow. Others took the time to unload the cannon with the supply of Buggy Balls specially made by her father. Finally, Cabaji, Mohji with his lion, and followed by her father who grinned with anticipation.

"Looks like I'm just in time," she stated, flipping her hair behind her shoulders. "I really thought this right here would take a lot longer, but I guess I was wrong." She pointed to the Jolly Roger imprinted on her, causing her father to laugh in amusement.

"Hahahaha! That's a flashy surprise," Buggy laughed. He grinned wickedly as his laughter died down after a few moments, "Now, it's time for us to flashily inform these people of our arrival. Prepare the Buggy Cannon! Hahahaha!"

* * *

**A/N: And that is it for now. I can't believe I got another chapter out this soon, but I have had a little bit of free time which I'm not sure of how long will last. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter and please do let me know if you guys are enjoying it or not. The Straw Hats will be making their appearance very soon so be looking out for that, but there will be a little surprise twist towards the end. What it will be, you'll have to continue reading to find out. **

**Best Wishes!**

**Ruby Dynasty**


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